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Postgraduate dilemmas

By Catherine de Lange

DECIDING whether or not to become a postgraduate can be a daunting prospect. Even if you are sure you want to press ahead, the chances are you’ll have a list of unanswered questions about the best approach. That’s why New Scientist has asked those in the know to talk frankly about what postgraduate life is really like and how to make the most of it. They found out the hard way, so you don’t have to.

How do I choose the right project?

One thing all postgrads agree on is that you need to be passionate about your research topic if you’re ever going to finish it. Starting off with fire in your belly will give you the best chance of seeing your work through. “During your PhD you will fall in and out of love with your project many times, so it is important to choose something that fascinates you and that you will want to persevere with,” says Katherine Reekie, who is in the fourth year of her PhD in genetics at the University of Leicester.

Think, too, about the mode of research, advises Rachel Walker, a second-year PhD student at the University of Cambridge. “You should consider whether the project will require mostly fieldwork or lab work and whether you are happy with this.” It is also useful for your project to have some similar aspects to those of other students working in your research group, she says, so that you can help each other out when you get stuck.

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Funding availability might influence the exact area you choose to focus on. “Often there will be projects available with funding, waiting for a student to take them up. This was true in my case,” says Jonathan du Bois, a PhD graduate from the University of Bristol. If you already have a specific project in mind, shop around for a department or supervisor that is interested in taking you on for that topic. Keep an open mind and spread your search as far as you can to find a university that fits your requirements.

Watch out for projects that are linked to commercial ventures requiring students to sign a contract that limit their ability to publish, or narrowly define the scope of their research. “I know of one horror story where a student obtained funding linked to a project to develop a medical device,” says Tristan Farrow, a fourth-year PhD student from the University of Cambridge. “Before he knew it, his hands were tied and he found himself working more on product development than science. His project took seven years and funding was a constant worry.”

Finally, don’t think too far ahead; the whole point of research is that you can never be quite sure where it will lead. According to Farrow, defining your research topic down to the smallest detail is like putting the cart before the horse. “PhD projects always evolve and final theses rarely cover the exact topics you thought you signed up for. You should have a clear aim but it’s fine not to know exactly how you’re going to get there,” he says. “That’s not to say you should be cavalier about your choice of research topic, but there’s nothing to be gained by being too prescriptive.”

Don’t think too far ahead; the whole point of research is that you can never be quite sure where it will lead

Will I get a job at the end of this?

“The market is worse than it has been for a considerable number of years, so you are not guaranteed a job,” warns Stephen Kennedy, from the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, where up to 70 per cent of staff have a PhD. “But having a postgraduate qualification will help you give examples of your strengths and attributes in an interview,” he says. You’ll also have good transferable skills that you can take away from science and apply to a totally different area, such as business.

Lorna Crombie, director of Durham-based science recruitment agency CK Science, agrees that postgrad study can prepare you for employment – as long as you know how to showcase your new skills in an interview. “You need to be able to go in and tell them what you got out of the course,” she says. Focus on abilities like project management or working independently – skills that require discipline.

Kennedy believes it’s this toolkit of skills that gives postgraduates the edge. “They tend to be more proactive, and have the ability to work autonomously and decisively,” he says. “They tend to have a better understanding of the working world than a graduate.” Overall, he says, postgraduates are “more likely to hit the ground running”, which makes a big impact in the pharmaceutical industry because the sooner new employees are doing their jobs well, the sooner patients receive the benefits.

Can I turn my PhD into a business?

Ever been tempted to use a smartphone to lend a helping hand in the pub quiz? If so, then chances are you’ll still be stuck when it comes to the picture round. Now, Mark Cummins, a final-year PhD student working on computer vision at the University of Oxford has found the solution. For the last year, he’s been developing a new company called Plinkart – which has created a visual search engine application for smartphones. “You take a picture of an object with your phone, we recognise the object in the picture and return the relevant information,” explains Cummins. For example, you can take a photo of a painting and the Plinkart app will find the relevant Wikipedia article.

Because scientists tend to be good at finding solutions to problems it means that, like Cummins, they often come up with ideas that could work well in a business setting. But does that mean it’s easy to turn your science into a business?

“Scientific training is intellectually rigorous so it is certainly not difficult for scientists to make a switch to business, but a significant shift in mindset is required,” says Afua Osei of the Oxford Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation – part of the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. Instead of focusing on pure scientific discovery, they’ll have to focus on context, applications, market needs and customer behaviour, she says.

Lecturer Davin Yap co-founded his company, now called Transversal, when he grew fed up with his students at the University of Cambridge emailing him masses of questions. He produced a piece of computer software which allows users to submit questions – in their own words – which the computer will understand and provide an answer to. His clients now include the Royal Mail and BBC iPlayer, but how confident was he that it would succeed at the start?

“Blindly confident,” Yap says. “It’s essential that you just get on with it. You’ll soon recognise what’s lacking and find ways to fill the gaps but only if you’re ‘doing’ rather than ‘pondering’.”

Cummins couldn’t agree more. “Intellectually, we were well aware that a high percentage of start-up companies fail but, almost by definition, start-up founders believe that that doesn’t apply to their idea.” Nonetheless, the risk of failure is still real and “it’s a huge commitment of time, effort and personal savings,” he says. However, the biggest investment is probably the opportunity cost&colon; “Initiating a start-up means not doing a postdoc or taking a well-paid job. Some people manage to combine a start-up with a postdoc, but it’s very difficult, especially because many universities now claim ownership of any intellectual property you develop during your research.”

Scientists that want to set up their own business should remember that great scientific discoveries are not necessarily good investment opportunities, says Osei. To find out if your idea works in a business setting, turn to mentoring programmes that offer you the realistic feedback you need. And finally, if you do have a great business idea but networking isn’t for you, it doesn’t mean you’re doomed to fail – you just need to get someone else to front the company. “In order to succeed in business you also have to understand how people work,” says Yap. If this isn’t a skill that you have, find someone else who does to take your business forward.

What am I really letting myself in for?

“If you are driven to discover more and push your scientific understanding forward, postgraduate study is the way to make your mark,” says Kennedy. Not only will you get the chance to immerse yourself in the science you love, but you’ll also get to start exploring it on your own terms, far more than you ever could during your undergraduate degree. “I love being amongst individuals working on a wide range of exciting and important projects, and the feeling of sitting at the forefront of current research. I also like the thought that I am contributing to an important area of research and that my work could actually help people,” says Reekie. “After three years I still get genuinely excited about my project.”

If you are driven to discover more and push your scientific understanding, then postgraduate study is the way to make your mark

If you think it’ll be plain sailing, though, it’s time for a reality check. Masters degrees cram in masses of work in a short time frame, and a PhD is “quite possibly one of the toughest things you will ever do”, Reekie says. What’s more, any doubts you have about your drive to carry out the research will show when things go downhill. “The hardest aspects of a PhD are learning to motivate yourself through periods where experiments are not working, results are not showing what you expected and everything seems to be going wrong,” she says. “But equally there are moments where you find something exciting, and that is what makes it all worthwhile.”

Three Good reasons to do a PhD

1. For a ticket to an exotic location

Some PhDs, especially in the environmental or public health sectors, can take you to exciting locations for extended periods. Just bear in mind that you’ll have to be twice as motivated about the research in order to get it done.

2. Because you’re worth it

The sense of achievement you get having carried a project through to its conclusion, largely on your own, can be a huge boost to your confidence and sense of self-worth.

3. Because you’ve tested the water

“Studying for a master’s degree before undertaking a PhD will give you a better idea about what studying for a PhD is like, and ease the transition from being an undergraduate to becoming a postgraduate,” says Rachel Walker, a second-year PhD student at the University of Cambridge.

Three Bad reasons to do a Masters

1. As a last resort

Postgraduate study shouldn’t be a consolation prize because you can’t get a job, warns recruitment consultant Lorna Crombie. “Getting extra qualifications is better than not working, but don’t just grab something you aren’t especially interested in.” You’ll risk ending up with an MSc that will lead into jobs in that field – jobs that, ultimately, you won’t want to do.

2. Because it sounds glamorous

It’s easy to be swayed to go for a sexy subject like forensics, warns forensic entomologist Amoret Whitaker. “A lot of universities are running courses with the word forensics in the title but a lot of them are really dumbed-down,” she says. “Stick to the hard sciences, the traditional subjects that keep your options a lot wider.”

3. To pad out your CV

If you add up the course fees and the cost of living for a year, an MSc is a huge investment. If you can get equally good experience – with an industry placement or internship, for example – it might be worth reconsidering your options.

How do I choose the right supervisor?

“There are only two kinds of bad supervisors&colon; those who let their students drift and those who over-supervise and end up snuffing out their students’ creativity. To spot them, find out if past students completed their projects, how long they took and whether current students look like they’re enjoying themselves.”

Tristan Farrow, fourth-year PhD student at the University of Cambridge

“Think about your working style. It’s worth talking this through with your supervisor beforehand and seeing what they expect to contribute and what they expect to get from you.”

Jonathan du Bois, PhD graduate from the University of Bristol

“Students should consider the Research Assessment Exercise rating – the research rating of a department or school. Those where the majority of staff are rated four-star or three-star are the ones that carry out internationally competitive research.”

Ann Logan, medical science professor at the University of Birmingham

“Look at the papers your potential supervisor has written to give you an idea about the research they do and the journals they publish in.”

Rachel Walker, second-year PhD student at the University of Cambridge

Case Study Should I continue my studies?

If your future rests on a choice between two very different offers, picking one can be sheer agony. Earlier this year Jamie Grant had to choose between a well-paid banking job and the offer of a PhD in physics from the University of Oxford.

What did Grant do? He discovered plan C – a PhD that combined his passion for science and finance. His research looks at the effects of extreme climate events on financial markets and the economy, and is split between Imperial College Business School and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change.

“I was really interested in the workings of the market and also climate science,” Grant explains. “This PhD combined both of my interests so I pursued it as hard as I could.”

Grant had completed several internships in the banking sector, and came to realise that elements of a PhD aren’t that different&colon; “You’ve got to be an entrepreneur and you’ve got to network. You have to get your name out there and develop your career,” he says.

Grant’s case goes to show that looking around for further postgraduate options can throw up the perfect solution to a career dilemma. What’s more, the interdisciplinary nature of his studies means that neither door will be closed to him in the future.